You have to trust you will end up exactly where you’re meant to be
Ever felt like you don’t belong — not in a place, not among certain people? Like there’s more to your story waiting to unfold, beyond what life currently offers? You’re not wrong. These aren’t just fleeting thoughts. You may actually be somewhere you’re not meant to be — and that’s okay for the moment. It doesn’t mean your story is incomplete; it simply means that you are in the middle of discovering a few more chapters. Our protagonist, Martha, feels the same. But unlike us, she has a godmother-like figure guiding her through her journey.
This is a story of three lives — Opaline, Martha, and Henry — all mysteriously and magically connected across time, from the cobbled streets of old England to present-day Ha’Penny Lane, Dublin.
The story begins with Martha fleeing her bitter past in search of a new beginning. She arrives at Ha’Penny Lane hoping to find work — and perhaps, herself, unaware of the fact that fate has already begun writing the next chapter of her life which indeed is going to be full of twist and turns . She meets Henry — a researcher obsessed with old books, stories, and forgotten people he is on a quest to uncover the history of a rare 19th-century bookshop once run by a woman named Opaline Carlisle whose story was not yet fully uncovered and has been lost between time. Both Martha and Henry arrived in Dublin for different reasons but still found themselves engulfed in Opaline’s past.
Opaline was a rare book dealer in old England — a time when women were seen as property, not individuals. Her brother, Lyndon Carlisle, had her life planned out, but Opaline had other ideas, she always thought that there is more to her story and was eager to unfold her chapters. With just a single book and a few pennies, she left everything behind — rejecting a future decided for her. Her journey led her from England to Paris, then eventually to Dublin. Along the way, she encountered all kinds of people — some kind, some deceiving. But she remained determined to carve out her own life, a safe space, a purpose. Amidst all the chaos she created a safe space for herself, her little mysterious bookshop in Dublin, A place that reveals itself only to those who are truly seeking it. Henry, in his search, once glimpsed this mysterious bookshop — only to have it vanish again, as if swallowed by the fog of time.
In a place called lost strange things are found
Opaline’s fascination lay with Emily Brontë, and Henry’s with Opaline. In a way, Opaline became her own version of Emily — crafting a life and identity in a world that silenced women. She lived in an era where women needed male pseudonyms to be heard, to be taken seriously. And yet, she managed to rise, remembered and researched upon.
There’s a fourth character as well who shapes the soul of the story, Madame Bowden — a mysterious woman who owns the house where Martha finds work as a maid. Ms Bowden is no ordinary landlady. She becomes Martha’s guardian angel, giving her a reason to stay in Dublin and rebuild her life. But who is she, really? is she connected to Opaline or Martha? There’s more to her than what is actually visible.
Just like Martha, Henry, and Opaline — our own stories are often linked to people, places, and events we haven’t yet encountered. Destiny knows the right time to reveal its cards.
The book truly does justice to its appealing cover. I know they say don’t judge a book by its cover, but I totally picked it up because of how catchy and beautiful the cover looked. And, it became the book I turned to when I wanted to feel just a little bit of magic in life. It’s like an escape — into a world that feels like the bookshop itself, hidden and comforting. The story kinda speaks to you. It tells you exactly what you need to hear when you’re feeling low.
Lost is not a hopeless place to be. It is a place of patience, of waiting
☘️☘️☘️
Leisure & Life 